Trump and Putin agreed on cooperation

On Wednesday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which it was announced that immediate negotiations would begin to end the war in Ukraine. Trump reported this on his Truth Social platform, emphasizing that, in his opinion, the conflict would not have occurred if he had been president earlier. However, since it has happened, he believes it must be brought to an end.

In his statement, Trump noted that he had discussed a wide range of topics with Putin, including Ukraine, the Middle East, energy, artificial intelligence, and the strength of the dollar. Both leaders emphasized the importance of working together and expressed their intention to visit each other's countries in the future.

To lead the negotiation process on Ukraine, Trump appointed a team of high-ranking officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. The first step will be a call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to inform him of the conversation that took place.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the conversation lasted about an hour and a half and was dedicated, in particular, to discussing ways to resolve the situation in Ukraine. Putin invited Trump to visit Moscow for further negotiations, and Trump accepted the invitation.

Earlier the same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that returning Ukraine to its 2014 borders is an unrealistic goal, emphasizing that striving for this would only prolong the war and bring more suffering. He also noted that Ukraine’s NATO membership is not being considered as part of the conflict resolution.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of Trump's determination to end the war and expressed the need to achieve a just peace for Ukraine.

These events mark a significant shift in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which has claimed millions of lives and destabilized the region since 2022.